It appears Jimmy Kimmel will not be hosting the Academy Awards for the fifth time this March. Granted, the door is no doubt open for the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to return down the road, but his next go around will not be in 2025. That’s according to an initial report by Puck News confirmed by various outlets.
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It’s unclear why Kimmel decided not to host for the third straight year. The telecast earned seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety Special (Live) and landed the highest Nielsen ratings since the pandemic with 19.5 million viewers. Things were on a roll, yet, no.
Kimmel also hosted in 2023, 2018, and 2017. The Oscars did not have a host between 2019 and 2021. That changed when Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes hosted in 2022, a ceremony just finding its footing when it was thrown off kilter following the now infamous Will Smith altercation with Chris Rock (basically, the ladies deserve another chance if they want it).
With Kimmel bowing out, many would expect John Mulaney to be The Academy’s first choice. Mulaney not only had a very well-received monologue during the delayed 2023 Governors Awards but was one of the standout presenters during the 2024 telecast. Unfortunately, Mulaney now appears unavailable due to a number of other commitments including a possible renewal of his Netflix “one-off” series “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA.”
Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan, returning as Oscars producers, now have a few months to find a replacement. Former hosts Chris Rock and Whoopi Goldberg are theoretically possible. As are Steve Martin and Martin Short. The pair are the stars of the Disney-Hulu hit “Only Murders in the Building” and their inclusion would keep the telecast in the ABC Family. It would also be an interesting choice if their “Murders” co-star, Selena Gomez, is recognized by The Academy for her new film “Emilia Perez.” The pop star already won Best Actress at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival alongside three of her co-stars. Martin previously hosted in 2001, 2003, and alongside Alec Baldwin in 2010.
Some will daydream that ABC and Bob Iger will find a way to convince Ryan Reynolds or Hugh Jackman to host. The latter emceed one of the most popular and critically acclaimed ceremonies in 2009. Either would be long shots, however. Neil Patrick Harris, who hosted in 2015, and the aforementioned 2022 trio, would appear to be unlikely at this point.
Other possibilities include Oscar winner Ariana Debose, who has hosted three straight Tony Awards telecasts, and became an online sensation in 2023 with her performance at that year’s BAFTA Awards. If not Debose, The Academy and ABC will likely hope to recruit someone who can appeal to younger viewers or has enough star power to get the telecast back into the 20 million viewers range again. Perhaps, a portion of Robert Downey Jr.’s “Avengers: Doomsday” paycheck can be allocated for the Oscars?
The 97th Academy Awards will be held on Sunday, March 2, 2025, and broadcast live in the United States on ABC.